Mining royalty company Altus Strategies has recorded “encouraging” initial results from the ongoing 10 000 m reverse circulation (RC) drilling programme at its 100%-owned Diba gold project, in western Mali.
Diba hosts a shallow-dipping near-surface gold deposit and several other prospect areas.
Intersections from the Diba deposit include 3.34 g/t gold over 60 m from 17 m, 4.48 g/t gold over 15 m from 22 m, 22.11 g/t gold over 6 m from 89 m, and 2.51 g/t gold over 12 m from 3 m.
Two new zones have been discovered at the Diba NW prospect, 800 m northwest of Diba deposit.
A mineral resource estimate for the Diba deposit comprises 4.83-million tonnes at 1.39 g/t gold for 217 000 oz in the indicated category and 5.48-million tonnes at 1.06 g/t gold for 187 000 oz in the inferred category.
Further assay results from the balance of the drilling programme are anticipated shortly.
Follow-up drilling is planned for the second quarter of this year to include currently undrilled prospects.
Diba is strategically located in a world-famous gold belt that hosts numerous openpit mines.
Altus CE Steven Poulton says a number of priority prospects have not been tested in the current programme and the company anticipates that these will be drilled in a follow-up programme.